The Case of Liking the Most Beautiful Girl in the School Even After Being Told Not to Like Her

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Chapter 3 – The Stepchild of My Father’s Second Marriage is…

Yes, since the day it happened… Every day Tachikawa comes to me and checks to see if I’ve told anyone.

Now, when I’m in my seat, Tachikawa keeps talking to me and I can’t help worrying about the frightening look in her eyes…

When I got up from my seat, Tachikawa asked me where I was going.

“Anywhere would be fine. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about that day. Being with me will destroy the character you’ve built up. Katayama, it’s time to go to class.”

“Oh, you don’t have to go with Tachikawa? You guys are dating, right?”

Since when did we start dating?

“Tachikawa and I are not even friends.”

Saying that, I grabbed my textbook and left the classroom with my friend.

＊＊＊

“Mina, can you teach me this part we learned today?”

After returning back to our classroom, several girls gathered around Tachikawa’s seat. They were all girls from Tachikawa’s group.

She has a lot of friends…

I leaned my elbows on the desk and looked at Tachikawa in the seat in front of me. She was laughing happily in the center of the room. I wondered if she was really laughing honestly or if she was laughing along with everyone else.

“Okay, this here is—”

Tachikawa carefully taught her friends how to solve the problem.

“Wow~ Thanks! Mina, as a thank you, do you want to go out for pancakes after school today?”

Tachikawa put her hands together at her friend’s invitation.

“Ah, sorry. I have an important appointment today. I’ll join you next time.”

“Appointment? Could it be—”

Several girls around Tachikawa looked at me at once.

What? What is it?

“N-No, it’s not that…”

Tachikawa turned red in the face and hurriedly denied it.

I have no idea what she’s talking about…

“Eh~? You said that because you’re going on a date, right~? You have a date after school—”

“You seem to misunderstand. Asai-kun and I have been talking a lot lately, but we’re not in a relationship. We just sit near each other, but we don’t have that kind of relationship.”

Tachikawa said so to her friends, but no one believed it and mistook it for denial, resulting in Tachikawa’s embarrassment.

Yes, Tachikawa and I are just classmates.

We’re not friends. Tachikawa is only approaching me to keep me quiet.

“Right, Asai-kun?”

Tachikawa said with her eyes that we are just classmates.

“Yeah… Me and Tachikawa are not dating.”

Is it just my imagination…?

Tachikawa’s expression was dark for a moment…

＊＊＊

—After school.

Tachikawa, who sits in front of me, always leaves the classroom at a leisurely pace, but today, when I was about to leave, she was no longer in the classroom.

Come to think of it, I thought she said she had something important planned.

“Yuuto, let’s go home.”

“Oh, sorry. I have plans today, and I’m meeting my father in front of the station.”

“Eh, perhaps you’re…”

My friend, Kouki Katayama, guessed from my words and expressions.

“Yeah, it’s that. It’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

I left school quickly and ran to the station.

We’re going out for dinner tonight. Not just me and my dad, but with two other people. The two extra people are my new stepmom and her daughter from a previous marriage.

My mother died when I was 14, and after that I lived with my father. I couldn’t leave everything to him, so I often helped with the housework, such as cooking and cleaning.

My dad said a few days ago that he wanted to remarry. At the time, I was surprised, but I didn’t object because I wanted him to be happy. I also heard him say that he hadn’t forgotten about my deceased mother.

I’ll live the same life even if he remarries… So this routine will not change drastically just because my dad’s getting remarried.

My father was already waiting for me when I arrived at the station.

“I’m here, Dad.”

“Ah, Yuuto. Well, let’s meet Kaho-san at the restaurant we have a reservation at. Let’s go.”

My dad and I went from the station to the restaurant where we were going to meet.

“Speaking of which, Dad. You said she had a daughter from her previous marriage? How old is she?”

Is she younger? Or is she older? …I was a bit curious.

“I think she’s in her first year of high school… Ah, then she’s the same age as Yuuto.”

Same age, huh? …Well, I don’t have to worry about it, and for me, who doesn’t really like kids, I’m more comfortable with people my age.

I was talking to my dad and in no time at all, we arrived at the restaurant where we were meeting.

I started to get nervous…

When we entered the restaurant, my dad told the waiter we were meeting someone else and went to the table where his future partner was waiting. We stopped at the table at the far end.

“Good evening, Kaho-san.”

“Good evening, Koji-san. Come on, Mina, say hello too.”

Hmm?

Mina?

I feel like I’ve heard that name before…

Kaho-san called out to her daughter, who was sitting next to her while reading a book. The girl then closed her book, put her hair over her ears, and turned to face me and my father with a big smile on her face.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Mina Tachikawa.”

“EH!?”

The moment I heard the voice, my voice just leaked out…

W-Why is Tachikawa here!?

Tachikawa was also surprised, but she immediately smiled.

“Eh, Mina, could it be that you’re acquainted with Koji-san’s son?”

When Kaho-san asked Tachikawa, she nodded with a smile.

“Yes, we’re classmates to be exact. I didn’t think Koji-san’s son was Asai-kun… I was really surprised. Right, Asai-kun?”

I nodded at her smile, which could be described as frightening.

“Y-Yeah. I was surprised that Kaho-san’s daughter was Tachikawa-san.”

“What a coincidence. But if you know each other, you’re going to get along really well.”

Kaho-san put her hands together and smiled happily.